.........., , . . \ C . . "",,; \:. '. ". -.. L- -t- L ;:,:". .-<;: ::: :.:.. .' ...... .::.:.., ;" .- -. f" ....,. : .:;::;- --' - f : ....<: _. ,.-:.t. , ,:" - . , :,;;j ., ....<. ;({ _. '. ; ' - . -- ........... ........ ..,.., 1 , \'_.1' - ' ':. ',. ;." . . ."-' ' .'. :;. ....:.... !.\1 :; ..:.. x {: .-: . .: . "..... we \ -r '--, . . ) ) .::: 5 . (. .e.' "., \:-_:. }, ,0::.. '\ . 'J', 1 :'. '"' ",', ....t. ":. .", "; " ''-'". ". ." ",' ':;; .":-- . -;, .':. '", ... \ \I I , ,; . .: , 11 . c- . .)... , ' :-:-:. ::-.::. . -' '* W' u T= :;" _ I > " j:J , l ",,^ ':'; ""t]J, .. f1 ' . J '"' Ray Krocs revolutlon made French fries universally available. Now a second revolution is necessary-to make them healthier. time Kroc was finished, he had figured out how to turn potatoes into an inex- pensive snack that would always be hot, salty, flavorful, and crisp, no matter where or when you bought it. This was the first fast-food revolu- tion-the mass production of food that had reliable mass appeal. But today; as the McDonald's franchise approaches its fiftieth anniversary, it is clear that I- fast food needs a second revolution. As (/) many Americans now die every year from obesity-related illnesses-heart disease :::> and complications of diabetes-as from smoking, and the fast-food toll grows heavier every year. In the fine new book "Fast Food Nation," the journalist Eric Schlosser writes of McDonald's and Burger King in the tone usually reserved for chemical companies, sweatshops, and arms dealers, and, as shocking as that seems at first, it is perfectly appro- priate. Ray Kroc' s French fries are kill- ing us. Can fast food be fixed? Dast-food French fries are made from r a baking potato like an Idaho russet, or any other variety that is mealy, or starchy, rather than W3.X:J The potatoes are harvested, cured, washed, peeled, sliced, and then blanched-cooked enough so that the insides have a fluffy texture but not so much that the fry gets soft and breaks. Blanching is followed by drying, and drying by a thirty-second deep fry; to give the potatoes a crisp shell. Then the fries are frozen until the mo- ment of service, when they are deep- fried again, this time for somewhere around three minutes. Depending on the fast-food chain involved, there are other steps interspersed in this process. McDonald's fries, for example, are briefly dipped in a sugar solution, which gives them their golden-brown color; Burger THE NEW YORKER, MARCH 5, 2001 53